Discussion: Impact players

Impact playersHey Gang, The SPA has just came out with a list of impact players. I am not on the list. I need to practice more. What do you think and what does this mean. I do recognize some names in the 60s. Thanks Harry

Andy, I'm just glad to put last year behind and get back out this year. How many of our guys are on this list? I'm sure you're on it.
Harry, You're on everybody's list as a great ambassador for senior softball.
Mike, Hope you're ok ,see you sometime this year. Don't want to pitch to you,might pull a neck muscle watching the ball go out.
John Sadler

Glad to hear that you will be playing again. The only list our guys made was the injured reserve list. LOL! No one knows who we are, except that we won the Phoenix Worlds somehow a while back. Hope to see you out there this spring and summer, if it all works out that way. I play my last tournament this weekend, then off to hibernation for 3 months.

Impact Player List Players declared as “Impact Players” by way of the Official SPA Impact Players list (as published on the SPA web site - http://www.softballspa.com)will be limited to play in the Major Plus and Major classifications only, and will no longer be eligible to play in the AAA or AA programs

I was told years back, long before this List came out “That since I played Major Plus, I could not play AAA. I couldn't drop two levels.
So in my 11 years of senior ball, I feel that this list should include everyone who ever played Major +. There is a lot of Major + players missing from this list. A LOT. They need to throw this list away and start over!

Oh and I'm not interested in playing AAA or AA........ EVER, nothing against base hitters but I like the LONG BALL. JMO

The answer is Hell No, salio2k, But the Assoc. says you’re a M+ player when you are on a M+ Team. No matter how good you are.
And the Assoc. rates teams on how many M+ players are on a Team. (Just ask West Coast All Stars)

I would like to start naming guys who I think that should be on this list but they might not want me to throw their names out there....... Nop not going to do it.

There are many Major+ 700 plus hitters, All-tourneys that are not on the list. Ans they would make an impact on a lot of teams.

I just don't Agree with the List that’s all. If there are People missing from the list just here in So Cal, and what about the rest of the Country.

i think the list being a SPA one will miss a lot of guys who play in cali,that didn't play in SPA tourney's.most of the list is made up of SPA all tourney players and mvp of the tourney's.as of now i have never seen a SSUSA IMPACT LIST persay,tho i know that they have restricted some guys as to where they can play.

also ridge being an ex major player,knows quite a few of the guys and know what they can do....

Speaking of Mavericks and Impact players, how abut Bruce Walker? He hasn't played for about three years and would still be an Impact Player although he has a couple of new knees and a shoulder replacement. SSUSA kept him out of softball with the California border rules since he didn't have a Major+ team to play with in his home state.

In the 2011 SPA rule book concerning impact players, it states that once a player turns 70 they will be removed from the impact player list. The list on the SPA site has nine 70 year old's players named. I wonder if the rules will change in the 2012 rule book?

I thought that the reason for the impact list was to protect lesser skilled players from those players who hit the ball very hard. It's been my pleasure to play with and against quite a few of the listed players and I can tell you that there are a couple of players on the list who, while being great defensive players, couldn't break a pane of glass with a ball that they hit. I think some of the players on the list are there because they have played on M+ teams.

Bruce Walker, Now that was an Impact Player, back when I started SS. He hit some Monster shots while playing for the Mavericks. But he is or was one dimensional to my knowledge. All he did was hit, but man, could he hit. He would hit 300 balls at BP. Yea salio2k that man would have made an impact on any Team he played for.

B. Walker, I remember him from my 50's days, He was also one of the better posters here who is amongst the missing.
Last I remember he was coming to CA for a while, I think it was job related a few years back.

Three players on our norcal MTC 50 team were placed on the list, and none have played a SPA tourney.

Things SPA should consider....

If your making the list to keep "powerful hitter" out of the lower half of tourney ball,aaa and aa divisions, which makes sence. It should be easy to see who hits the ball harder then you think players in those divisions should.

BUT...... If your making the list to regulate the strength of individual teams, players speed, defense and ability to pitch, etc...... This list is way too short

I think SPA is on the right track if they are making players lists to keep powerful hitter out of the lower level tourneys but..... There are players on the 50 list that have no power at all so.......

If this is an attempt to regulate teams strength, the list is a looooong way from being complete.

The victor of senir games is not decided by homeruns, and it looks like power was over valued on the short list that's been compiled.

It's a pretty well known fact that SPA and SSUSAÊshare some info. I think this is some of that.
Your correct about the short list, that's for sure, but at least it's a an updated one from the last one, not that many names have been deleted or added.
And correct too, there is more to being am impact player besides the long ball.

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